MADRID/BARCELONA—Spain moved closer on Monday to imposing central rule over Catalonia to thwart its independence push as Madrid’s High Court signaled a hardening line by jailing the leaders of two of the largest separatist organizations.
Marking the first time senior figures in the secessionist camp have been imprisoned since Catalonia’s Oct. 1 independence referendum, the court ordered the heads of the Catalan National Assembly and the grassroots Omnium movement held without bail pending an investigation for alleged sedition.
